Another illustration from my picture book story, “I Think Maybe I Swallowed A Baby”, the piano playing hippo is part of a crew of circus characters that end up in the belly of a whale. Everyone is having a fine time with the circus… except for the whale. All of this rumbling and tumbling… music and dancing… is keeping the whale in knots day and night!

This old farmhouse got uglier by the minute. The more we tore out, the more ugly we uncovered.

The home had been unattended for some time so it was in need of, well… everything! The budget was tight because the house needed attention in every way and area.

Surprisingly, the flooring is a high-grade linoleum rug instead of true wood planks and the counters and backsplash are laminate instead of granite and tile… but they look great!

It took more than a month of hard, filthy work to do the entire house. Spiders, ticks, rat’s nests, bugs… you name it, it happened.

Being linked to the property since childhood.. and seeing the devastating condition it was in before, the homeowners were pleased with the transformation. And the look on their faces when they saw the finished project was a moment worth waiting for.

I’m especially proud of this custom built-in installed in a recent den extension. The homeowners wanted their den extended into the garage which would double this heavily used living space. The renovation was going great until issues with relocation of the HVAC was going to leave a very ugly duckling of a box protruding out into the new room.

Uh, NO! I actually lost sleep over this. Did you look at those pictures? Yuck. Then it hit me.. a built-in! The perfect way to make the box look like a planned soffit. So I show up bright and early the next day to talk to my contractor about the last minute change.. partially proud of my great idea and partially fearing he was going to cream me for the added work.

I barely got the words out before he was sketching my thoughts right onto the wall. It was as if he had already thought of it. What? Was this my idea or his idea? I didn’t even know. I didn’t even care. It was happening and he seemed as pleased as I was about it. Happy designer. Happy contractor. Happy client. That is a very good day in my world. Bye bye, ugly duck.

Even the puppy approved this cute kitchen makeover! The space was completely gutted before being transformed into an adorable farmhouse inspired space.

The kitchen wasn’t actually enlarged, but feels larger with the wall dividing kitchen and dining room removed. Our contractor made and installed beautiful floating shelves stained to match the header beam. Using open shelving in a small kitchen eliminates the heaviness using all cabinetry can create.

The laundry area was reconfigured for a stackable W/D and enclosed to hide away clutter.

I love that one of the first things the homeowners put out once the renovation was complete was their “thankful” sign.

They showed such gratefulness throughout the entire process… and we were thankful to work with them and make their home a great place to build sweet memories.

Let’s face it, no matter how much sweeping or cleaning that’s done, floors like these take a beating with traffic, product, and hair clippings. Changing them from “show everything” white to a textured design charcoal tile was first on the list. Setting the tiles on the diagonal elongates the room and adds interest. The main walls stayed light with SW 7014 Eider White and the accent wall went from a 90’s hunter green to SW 6271 Expressive Plum. The wood-look floating floor tile on the short ledge wall is an interesting focal point and will hold up to years of water splashes and other spills better than drywall.

A solid piece of glass covers a brand new wooden ledge for easier clean up. New cabinets, new sink, new baseboard, new mirror, new clock, new hamper, new no-touch trash can. We don’t mess around!

Refinishing the solid wood work station table and storage unit gave them a fresh look and a new leash on life.

Finally, a collage of jofa12 art …and we’re done. The idea is for the client to enjoy this brand new space until she’s ready for a change. Then, all she has to do is paint the accent wall and change out her art for an entirely new feel. Easy, right? Or she can just call me.. and I hope she will. 🙂